II. READING

TASK 1. Read the passage. Circle the best answer A, B or C to each of the questions.

The reason why humans attempt to protect endangered species may involve the balance of the natural ecosystem that has far-reaching effects on the development of human society. It has been scientifically proven that when a certain species is at risk, it’s a warning bell that an ecosystem is extremely unbalanced. Sadly, humans are considered the main cause of the mass disappearance of many wildlife species. To meet our demand, we use natural resources excessively and destroy many forests where millions of species inhabit. In nature, everything is interconnected, so the loss of one species will lead to the loss of others and even an ecological imbalance of the whole region.

Many sources of rare flora and fauna are just obtained by having a well-balanced ecosystem. To assess the extinction risk of species, government agencies and conservation organisations used the IUCN Red List, consisting of more than 42,100 species threatened with extinction. There are nine groups of endangered species, four of which are in very serious trouble. Based on the list, governments and conservationists can take possible measures to safeguard and boost the populations of endangered species. These struggles against probable species extinction have got initial achievements. For example, by the 1980s the giant panda’s numbers in the wild had declined to just over a thousand but now, thanks to China’s steady efforts, the animal is no longer classified as ‘endangered’ according to the IUCN. This can be seen as a motivation for other conservation projects in the future.

What is the passage mainly about?